Sevilla victorious at Valencia

Ivan Rakitic scored the only goal midway through the second half, slamming home a loose ball to put his side to within 12 points of Valencia who occupy fourth spot. They were indebted to goalkeeper Javi Varas for the win, with his string of fine saves keeping Valencia at bay.

Salomon Rondon hit both goals as Malaga boosted their chances of Primera Division survival with a precious 2-0 win at home to Espanyol.

The Venezuela striker scored twice in the first 25 minutes to give the Andalusians only their fourth home win in the league this season. It was, though, a second successive win for Manuel Pellegrini's side.

Villarreal put their recent indifferent domestic form behind them with a 1-0 triumph against fellow European hopefuls Athletic Bilbao at San Mames.

The Yellow Submarine had won just one of their previous seven Primera Division matches, but they were victorious again thanks to Marco Ruben`s second-half header.

Villarreal now boast a massive 11-point advantage over Espanyol in fifth.

Osasuna took a huge step towards Primera Division survival as they thrashed struggling Hercules4-0 in Alicante to move into the top half of the table with nine rounds of the championship remaining.

Goals from Javier Camunas and Nelson saw the Pamplona-based side go two up before the break, before second-half strikes from Krisztian Vadocz and Kike Sola sealed an emphatic victory for the northerners.

After a first half littered with shots from distance, Santander took the lead with a spectacular opener from Kennedy Bakircioglu. Antoine Griezmann brought Sociedad level after the break, before Tottenham forward Giovani settled matters.

A late Ruben free-kick earned Levante a 1-0 win against Deportivo La Coruna at the Estadio Riazor and maintained the Valencia club's impressive recent run of form. Deportivo have now suffered back-to-back defeats having previously been unbeaten in five, while Levante's success means they have lost just once in nine Primera Division matches.

Sporting Gijon gave their hopes of surviving the drop a further boost whilst damaging Almeria's own chances after claiming a 1-0 win in the clash between the two relegation rivals.

Miguel De Las Cuevas' hotly-disputed early strike proved the difference as Sporting, who started the match one spot and three points above 18th-placed Almeria, continued their recent revival with their seventh win of the campaign - five of which have come in the last 11 games.